Leonard was often asked how he managed to capture so well women going about their daily lives, and often answered that he painted women as they are.

In the section of the sale devoted to Leonard's works, we can see the colourful, imaginative ways in which he painted women . . . whether shopping, minding children, going to a dance, waiting for a bus, at the beach, at the circus or in the nude.

Leonard's wife, Doreen, featured as a model in many of his works. The collection, amassed by well-known dealer George McCelland during the 1960s and 70s, also features works from the 40s and 50s, often considered to be Leonard's best period.

There are also seascapes, landscapes and buildings painted around Skerries, Rush and Howth.

In the main section of this sale, which includes an additional 174 lots, the highlights are interesting works by Harry Kernoff, including the oil sketch titled Davy Byrne's from The Baily, in which Kernoff (reflected in the mirror behind the bar of the Baily, on Duke Street) is seen in trilby and glasses reading a newspaper. The work has an estimate of between 30,000 and 40,000.

Whytes' Irish Art auction, takes place at the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, on 21 February